Today’s industrial waste fire at the Bulla Tip and Quarry is extremely concerning and serious questions need to be answered about how this fire started.
Reports indicate the fire was first spotted at 6:00 am, but the Environmental Protection Authority did not arrive until sometime after 9:00 am, a delay of more than 3 hours.
This site was previously shut down because of asbestos risks and waste being dumped illegally, yet had its license reinstated last year and was permitted to operate.
The Andrews Labor Government needs to explain how this industrial fire started, assure the community they are safe, and confirm the site has been operating legally since its license was reinstated.
This blaze is the latest in a spate of industrial fires over Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs caused by illegal stockpiles of industrial and chemical waste over the last three years. An independent review, released earlier this year, made scathing findings of the EPA’s failure to protect the Victorian community from hazardous waste.
Today’s industrial fire is in the same area where the Andrews Labor Government plans to dump thousands of tonnes of toxic PFAS soil from its bungled West Gate Tunnel Project after it rushed through new regulations without consultation.
The fire today has further exposed that Bulla residents have no confidence that Labor can protect them from environmental harm and their plans to dump toxic soil.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Bridget Vallence:
“The Liberal Nationals are calling for an urgent independent investigation into to how this industrial fire started at Bulla.
“It’s alarming how regularly hazardous industrial waste fires occur across Melbourne under the watch of Daniel Andrews and Labor.
“Labor is disgracefully leaving local communities exposed to the risk of hazardous smoke and the pollution of air and waterways.
“We must prioritise protecting local Bulla residents from further environmental harm and today’s fire exposes the Andrews Labor Government on its risky plan to dump toxic soil in this area.”
Comments attributable to Member for Western Metropolitan Region, Bernie Finn:
“The Liberal Nationals have been asking questions about the disgraceful state of the Bulla Tip for months but Labor’s Environment Minister has been as quiet as a tomb.
“The Andrews Labor Government is turning a blind eye to the disaster that is unfolding on Sunbury Road.
“Local residents are aghast at how invisible the Labor’s Member for Sunbury has been on this ongoing local disaster.”
